Join the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation at Noche de Gala 2013

Last week, The Business Report was invited out to Micanopy to tour the Besilu Collection horse ranch, the site of the Sixth Annual Noche de Gala fundraiser for the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation. As a media sponsor for the event, we’re proud to give you a sneak peek of the event, which will take place this year on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 7 p.m. to midnight.

For background, the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation was founded by Horst and Luisa Ferrero six years ago after their 3-year-old son Sebastian died from a series of preventable medical errors at Shands Hospital. The two set off on a mission to raise the funds for a dedicated children’s hospital in Gainesville.

This year, Noche de Gala will feature an “Oasis” Mediterranean-style theme, complete with unique performances by We Got the Beat – featuring today’s contemporary hits mixed with favorites from the ‘80s and ‘90s –and the DanZara bellydance company. The event will also feature a silent auction for rare items like a guitar signed by Slash — of Guns N’ Roses fame — and a genuine autograph from Elvis Presley.

After a driving tour of the spectacular 642-acre farm – home to a collection of award-winning Thoroughbred racing horses and Paso Fino show champions – we were treated to a lunch by official Noche caterer Embers Wood Grill and heard from several speakers, including event producer Keith Watson, owner of Keith Watson Events, Inc. and the event’s producer; Jon and Kelly Pritchett, the owners of Nextran Corporation and Pritchett Trucking, who were announced as $100,000 presenting sponsors of the event; Horst and Luisa Ferrero; and Dr. Scott Rivkees, the chairman of pediatrics at UF Health.

Rivkees said that UF Health Shands sees 150,000 children a year and the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation is helping to make tremendous strides toward changing the way children are cared for in Gainesville, from the newly announced expansion of the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital to new safety regulations to personalized care for each child.

“Every child is special,” he said. “What we have to ask is what does each individual child need?”

The Foundation also announced that Sens. Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson, Rep. Ted Yoho, UF President Bernie Machen and First Lady Chris Machen will serve as honorary chairs, and world-renowned artist Romero Britto will serve as the event’s ambassador.

To find out more about the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation and how you can get involved, visit www.SebastianFerrero.org.

To find out more about Noche de Gala and to buy tickets, visit www.NochedeGala.org.

 

 

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